What is an Occipital Nerve Block?

Occipital nerve blocks are injections used to treat certain types of headaches and scalp pain.
They involve numbing the nerves at the back of the head (greater and lesser occipital nerves), which are often involved in chronic pain conditions.
“Occipital nerve blocks benefit 7 out of 10 patients with headaches or scalp pain. However,
the effect is temporary.”



Conditions Treated

  • Chronic Migraine
  • Occipital Neuralgia
  • Cervicogenic Headaches
  • Myofascial Pain Syndrome
  • Chronic Post-surgical Pain
  • Chronic Post-traumatic Pain
  • Scar Pain

Important Precautions:

Please inform us if you have any of the following:

  • Pregnancy
  • Muscle disorders
  • Allergy to local anaesthetics or steroids

Very Common side effects

(may affect more than 1in 10 patients):
  • Pain or bruising at the injection site
  • Numbness (a few hours)
  • Dizziness (may last a few days)

Common side effects

(may affect up to 1in 10 patients):
  • Temporary worsening of pain (flare-up)

Uncommon side effects

(may affect up to 1in 100 patients):
  • Increased anxiety
  • Palpitations or raised blood pressure
  • Raised blood sugar
  • Infection

 

Rare side effects

(may affect up to 1in 1,000 patients):
  • Hair loss with repeated nerve blocksy

Key Information:

  • Injections may cause muscle weakness for a few days or weeks.
  • Steroids used in the block can take 2 to 4 weeks to provide full relief.
  • Duration of pain relief varies for each patient.
  • Do not drive or operate heavy machinery if you feel drowsy or unsteady after the procedure.
  • The first injection is a trial to assess whether your pain may respond to further treatments like Botox.

Our Clinical Opinion:

Occipital nerve blocks are often used when standard migraine medications or nerve painvtreatments have not been effective. They can offer a “pain holiday,” helping patients return to work or resume daily life.